Dundarave Festival of Lights

With its Christmas trees and free concerts, West Vancouver‘s Dundarave Festival of Lights is a great place to enjoy holiday festivities on the North Shore.

Last year, special free events took place on the Saturdays of November 30th, December 7th, 14th and 21st.

Continue reading or visit the official Dundarave Festival of Lights website for full details about the festival.

This article contains the following information about the festival:

Christmas Trees and Activities in West Vancouver

Billed as the “Ultimate Canadian Christmas” and running for over 25 years, the Dundarave Festival of Lights is a fairly quiet and peaceful winter holiday festival on weekdays. It’s a nice place to visit any time over the winter holiday season, but especially interesting on Saturdays when there is free live music and other activities.

As many as 55,000 people turn out to celebrate the season and admire the festival’s Christmas trees and holiday decorations throughout the event’s month-long run. It’s a great community event!

Click Dundarave Festival of Lights for the event’s official website.

When and Where is the Festival

The Dundarave Festival of Lights typically runs from late November until the beginning of January. The event is usually headlined by special events on the first four Saturdays.

This yearly Christmas festival takes place at Dundarave Park in West Vancouver, right at the waterfront by 150-25th Street. That’s where most of the trees are located and where the live events take place on Saturdays. A number of trees are also usually at Grosvenor Ambleside Galleria at 1355 Bellevue Avenue. This second venue is covered. It’s also near 14th Street and Marine Drive, about a 30-minute walk from Dundarave Beach along the seawall.

In addition to the waterfront area at Dundarave Beach and Grosvenor Ambleside, in past years Christmas trees used to be decorated at Millennium Park which is located by the waterfront at the end of 15th Street by Argyle Avenue.

What You’ll See at the Festival

Every year the North Shore festival hosts the Forest of Miracles which features dozens of decorated Christmas trees. The Dundarave Festival of Lights puts on four Saturdays of free live music and other activities. Last year there was a bonus concert from the Ridgeview Elementary Choir on Friday, December 6th.

The best times to visit the Dundarave Festival of Lights are during the special events on select Saturdays in the afternoons and at night when the Forest of Miracles is lit up. You’ll find lots of decorated trees most evenings, but it won’t be too crowded. It’s quite beautiful.

Heading to Dundarave in the late afternoon is also really nice. You can see the Christmas trees in the daylight and then go for a walk along the seawall towards Ambleside Park. You can then walk back to Dundarave at around dusk in time to see the trees again with all their lights at night. See below for a video showing what the place looks like.

Click Dundarave Festival of Lights for the event’s official website.

Forest of Miracles

The Forest of Miracles at the Dundarave Festival of Lights features a collection of dozens of beautifully decorated Christmas trees at Dundarave Beach. It’s a festive fundraising attraction where local businesses, organizations and residents make a donation to the Lookout Society’s North Shore Shelter and then decorate their sponsored Christmas tree.

The collection of trees in the Forest of Miracles is a sight to see, and it’s all for a great cause. It’s also a nice addition to what is already one of the most beautiful places in the entire Lower Mainland.

(Note: If you are a business, organization or individual that wanted to have a tree in 2024, the cost to do so was $300 if booked early enough or $400 closer to the beginning of the festival.)

Click Dundarave Festival of Lights for the event’s official website.

Forest of Miracles Video

Check out the following video for an idea of what to expect with respect to the Christmas trees. The short video shows scenes of the Forest of Miracles both during the day and at night. As you’ll see, both the Christmas trees and the area in general are beautiful!

Filiming took place at the beginning of December a few years ago. We arrived at around 4:00 pm, took some video, and then went for a walk along the seawall. We returned about an hour later at dusk and then filmed until it was dark. The winter sunset at Dundarave alone was worth the trip!

Concerts & Events

Free concerts and other activities take place at the Dundarave Festival of Lights on Saturdays leading up to Christmas. Below is what took place last year. The schedule will likely look similar this holiday season, though details are to be confirmed.

November 30th, 2024 – the Dundarave Christmas Fair ran from noon until dusk. At this event, local businesses and organizations decorated their respective Christmas trees at Dundarave Beach. Live entertainment was expected between 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm as well.
December 7th, 2024 – the Nativity and Paddle Songs ran from noon until dusk. At this event an elder from the local Squamish Nation blessed the Dundarave Nativity (which was an impressive, hand-carved work of art). The elder also led a session of dancing, storytelling and reconciliation-themed activities. After that, there was live music and entertainment with a couple of bands until around 4:00 pm.
December 14th, 2024 – Dundarave’s World Christmas featured an afternoon of multicultural music and dancing from noon until around 4:00 pm. (Note: This event was cancelled in 2024 due to high winds.)
December 21st, 2024 – Christmas Wassail & Bonfire Night featured a giant bonfire and entertainment between 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm on the last Saturday before Christmas. The event also included a visit from Santa and more live music.

Below is a more detailed description of each of the above events.

Note: Last year, there was also a fifth event. On Friday, December 6th, there was a School Concert from 2:00 pm until 3:00 pm. It took place at Grosvenor Ambleside at 1355 Bellevue Avenue. The free event featured performances by the Ridgeview Elementary Choir.

Click Dundarave Festival of Lights for the event’s official website.

Festival Shelter at Dundarave — Concert Shelter at Dundarave Beach

Dundarave Christmas Fair

The Dundarave Christmas Fair takes place on a Saturday afternoon close to the beginning of December. This is the day that Christmas tree sponsors come out and decorate their trees. The trees are pretty plain until they are all decorated, but there is live entertainment to keep things interesting.

In 2024, the Dundarave Christmas Fair happened on Saturday, November 30th, from noon until dusk. The entertainment schedule for the year was the following:

12:00 pm – The Delibles
1:00 pm – Mariachi Los Dorados
2:00 pm – You Can Uke Too (audience members were encouraged to bring their own ukuleles and play too)
3:00 pm – Pacific Spirit Choir
4:00 pm – West Van Youth Band & the official opening of the Forest of Miracles

Squamish Elder at Forest of Miracles — Squamish Elder Wendy Charbonneau

Dundarave Nativity Paddle Songs

The Dundarave Nativity Paddle Songs event took place from around noon until dusk on Saturday, December 7th last year. The event had a First Nations theme. It included the work of local songwriters as well as traditional music by Squamish Elders.

The same as in recent years, Squamish Elder Wendy Charbonneau blessed the Dundarave Nativity and led a session of storytelling and dancing. She’s often accompanied by the Paddle Song Dancers. The schedule of events in 2024 was the following:

11:30 am – Squamish Welcome
12:00 pm – Viper Central Duo (a local band) and Metis Jigging
1:00 pm – Sara Magal Trio
2:00 pm – West Van Adult Pops Band
3:00 pm – Mark Kiliansky

Click Dundarave Festival of Lights for the event’s official website.

Wendy Charbonneau and Family — Paddle Song Performers

World Christmas Concerts

Dundarave’s World Christmas was going to take place from around noon until dusk on December 14th last year. She event was, unfortunately, cancelled due to high winds,

In years when it does happen, the event features an international theme including both Bollywood and Scottish dancing.

The schedule for the 2024 event included the following:

12:00 pm – UBC African Drummers
1:00 pm – Shiamak (who leads a Bollywood dance class)
2:00 pm – Scottish Country Dance & Ceilidh
3:00 pm – Burstin’ with Broadway (which is a choir with 100+ members)
4:00 pm – Sarah Jane Scouten

Wassail & Bonfire Night

The last Saturday before Christmas Day is Christmas Wassail & Bonfire Night which usually goes from around 3:00 pm until 8:00 pm. It’s the final main event of the festival. Participants enjoy a large bonfire, the company of lots of people and a visit from Santa Claus.

The event took place on Saturday, December 21st last year. It started at 2:00 pm, an hour earlier than in most years. That’s because the World Christmas event the weekend before was cancelled due to high winds. The choir Burstin’ with Broadway was going to perform that day but it was added to the December 21st weekend schedule instead.

This past holiday season, the event featured carolling around the bonfire, some square dancing, and music with the Psych Latin Funk band Los Duendes.

The bonfire normally gets lit at dusk, sometime between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Santa arrives at about 5:00 pm and there are performances by Circus West too.

The entertainment schedule for 2024 was as follows:

2:00 pm – The Delibles
3:00 pm – Burstin’ with Broadway (which is a choir with 100+ members)
4:00 pm – Amanda Wood & Friends
5:00 pm – Hot Mammas
6:00 pm – Los Duendes
7:00 pm – Square Dancing
8:00 pm – Community carolling around the bonfire

See our article about Wassail & Bonfire Night to learn more about this event.

Click Dundarave Festival of Lights for the event’s official website.

West Vancouver Wassail Bonfire Night — Wassail & Bonfire Night

Wassail Night Video

Check out the following video for an idea of what a Dundarave Festival of Lights event looks like. The video shows scenes of Wassail & Bonfire Night from 2021.

You’ll see the decorated Christmas trees. The tent filmed in the distance is where the live entertainment takes place. There isn’t always a bonfire at the events – just at the final event – on Wassail Night. There is, however, live music under the tented area on the first three or so Saturdays in December.

Also in the Area

While in the area, consider combining your trip to the Dundarave Festival of Lights with a visit to other nearby places of interest. The Beach House is a popular restaurant right beside the event venue at Dundarave. Just be sure to make reservations in advance, though, especially on Saturdays when there are live events at the beach.

Dundarave is also right on the water and connected to Ambleside by the seawall, making the area a great place for walks. And finally, just a couple of minutes away is the West Vancouver Aquatic Centre. The facility has one of the region’s best swimming pools, making it a fabulous place to visit most years if you have kids or want some indoor exercise.

Also on the North Shore, there is the Shipyards District in North Vancouver. There you’ll find more Christmas lights as well as free ice-skating opportunities.

Other places to check out on the North Shore this time of year are the Local Ski Hills (which offer snowshoeing, tubing and other winter activities). There are also Christmas attractions like Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge, the Peak of Christmas at Grouse Mountain, and the Holiday Hi-Light Festival at the Park and Tilford Gardens in North Vancouver.

If all these amazing places aren’t enough, just on the other side of the Lions Gate Bridge are the millions of Christmas lights at Bright Nights in Stanley Park. The Pacific National Exhibition also hosts the PNE Winter Fair in December, and the multi-dimensional film Soar with Santa shows at FlyOver Canada. Other great places to visit are the Vancouver Christmas Market and Festival of Lights at VanDusen Botanical Garden.